We Believe
The Scriptures.
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13).
The Godhead.
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory and having the same attributes and perfections (Duet. 6:4; II Cor. 13:14).
The Person and Work of Christ.
a. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35).
b. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by his literal physical resurrection from the dead (Rome 3:24-25; I Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:3-5).
c. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
a. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; II Cor. 3:6; I Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14).
b. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 16:13; I John 2:20, 27; Eph. 5:18).
The Total Depravity of Man.
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3,12).
Salvation.
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19).
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.
a. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and thus are secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 1:5).
b. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
The Two Natures of the Believer.
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and, that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Rom. 6:13; Rom, 8:12-13; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).
Separation.
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commended by God (II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1-2, 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Cor. 6:14-7:1).
Missions.
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the gospe1 to all mankind (Mark 16:l5; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:19-20).
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts.
a. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign mirac1es gradually ceased as the New Testament scriptures were completed and their authority became established (I Cor. 12:4-11; II Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:7-12; I Cor. 13:8).
b. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; I John 5:14-15).
The Church.
a. We believe that the church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2).
b. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27, 20:17; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
Ordinances.
a. Baptism. We believe immersion to be the New Testament form of baptism to be administered upon the personal acceptance and public confession of Christ as Savior. Baptism in our church, therefore, shall be administered by immersion only. We believe Christ Himself established and commended the ordinance to symbolize the believer’s death to the old life of sin and his spiritual resurrection to the new life in Christ (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 9:18, 10:47-48; Romans 6:3-6). (Amended January 2003).
b. The Lord’s Supper. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ to be observed by the redeemed in remembrance of His death until He comes again. It is not to be considered in any way to be the literal body and blood of Christ (I Cor. 11:23-26; Luke 22:19-20).
Dispensationalism.
We believe in the dispensational view of Bible interpretation, but reject the extreme teaching known as “Hyper-Dispensationalism” such as that teaching which opposes either the Lord’s Table or water baptism as a scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age (Matt. 26:19-20; Acts 2:41-43, 18:8; I Cor. 11:23-26).
The Personality of Satan.
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:l2, 17; Matt. 4:2-11, 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
The Second Advent of Christ.
We believe in that “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent, pretribulation, and premillenial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom (I Thess. 4:13-l8; Zech. 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6; I Thess. 1:10, 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
The Eternal State.
a. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).
b. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17).
c. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne of Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).
Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Marriage
We believe that God created two genders, male and female. Each gender is wonderfully made by God and should not be changed. We also believe that marriage was created by God to be between one man and one woman. Also, the Scripture prohibits sex outside of marriage. We believe that marriage is meant to be until death separates a man and woman. (Gen. 1:27; Ex. 20:13; Psalm 139:13-14; Rom. 1:26-27; Lev. 18:22; Gen. 2:21-24)